


Beatific smiles and prettily tied bows

by cian1675



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Gen, M/M, Soft and Fluffy, fox!kihyun, guard!hoseok, hoseok really admires prince!hyungwon, prince!Hyungwon, rabbit!hoseok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 03:40:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14393523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cian1675/pseuds/cian1675
Summary: The first time Hosoek sees Prince Hyungwon up close, he realises that the prince is taller than he’d imagined. Even with the ears atop his head straightened, Hoseok just matches Prince Hyungwon’s height, and he’s a rabbit for crying out loud. His ears are long when straightened (unlike Hyunwoo who has stubby bear ears) and this man, this prince, with nothing on his head except a full head of dark hair, is tall enough that Hoseok feels grossly inadequate as his newest royal guard.Hoseok kind of feels like crying.





	Beatific smiles and prettily tied bows

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this](https://twitter.com/cian1675/status/982274188697202689)

The first time Hosoek sees Prince Hyungwon up close, he realises that the prince is taller than he’d imagined. Even with the ears atop his head straightened, Hoseok just matches Prince Hyungwon’s height, and he’s a _rabbit_ for crying out loud. His ears are long when straightened (unlike Hyunwoo who has stubby bear ears) and this man, this prince, with nothing on his head except a full head of dark hair, is tall enough that Hoseok feels grossly inadequate as his newest royal guard.

Hoseok kind of feels like crying.

But then, Prince Hyungwon turns to him with the most beatific of smiles, says, “I heard you really wanted to be my guard. I am honored to have you by my side,” and Hoseok might kind of forget about wanting to cry.

“Thank you, Prince Hyungwon,” Hoseok starts, but the prince waves a hand.

“You don’t have to call me prince. Just Hyungwon is fine.”

“O-okay,” Hoseok says, instead of the _yes sir_ he’s been trained to reply. He’s pretty sure guards are not supposed to feel like this, all flustered and surprised instead of stoic and intimidating, but prince – no, Hyungwon, just Hyungwon – doesn’t point it out, and Hoseok has never felt more certain that he had made the right choice in coming here.

“Thank you, H-hyungwon. I’m honored to be able to serve you.”

 

 

☆.｡.:* ~ ~.｡.:*☆

 

 

Hyungwon doesn’t have a servant. When Hoseok asks why, some two months in, Hyungwon merely shrugs.

“I can use magic to take care of my cleaning and grooming needs. It feels unnecessary to have someone around for that when I do fine on my own.”

Hoseok tilts his head a little, wonders how much magic Hyungwon has because Hoseok’s only ever done his chores by hand. He saves his magic for special things – rituals, spells, blessings – and that’s how everyone he’d known had done it too. He wonders how it feels to have so much magic that he can use it for mundane things like levitate a book to him because he doesn’t want to get up.

Hyungwon stretches on the couch, flips open the book he’d just magicked over, purses his lips at Hoseok’s question.

“Well, it’s a blessing, to be trusted with so much power from Mother Nature herself, but at the same time, it can be a –”

Hyungwon stares into space for a while –

“…a trial.”

“A… trial?” Hoseok asks.

“Mhmm,” Hyungwon hums, not elaborating.

Hoseok’s curious, but he leaves it at that. Instead, he settles into a comfortable position between the door and Hyungwon, falls back into his usual guard routine.

 

 

☆.｡.:* ~ ~.｡.:*☆

 

 

Despite being the prince’s guard, Hoseok’s only ever tackled someone once, and it turns out to be a bad judgement on his part because –

“I can’t believe Hyungwon _never_ told you about me.”

“Why would I tell Hoseok about you?” There’s a lopsided smile upon Hyungwon’s full lips, and Hoseok frowns, looking between the fox in his arms and the prince just a step behind him.

“You know him?” Hoseok decides to clarify, tries not to give in to his instincts telling him to run from the short man with sharp eyes underneath him because, _hello_ , rabbits and foxes don’t mix. Even if he’d done what he’s supposed to and tackled the guy, the whiff of fox underneath the smell of mint, rosemary and other ritual herbs makes Hoseok fidgety.

“Unfortunately,” Hyungwon sighs exaggeratedly, and that’s the most reaction Hosoek’s ever seen from Hyungwon in the three months he’d worked here. “Let him up, Kihyun’s annoying but not dangerous to anything but my mental health.”

There’s a little huff from the guy – Kihyun – when Hoseok frees him, and Hoseok can’t decide if he needs to apologise or –

“Don’t worry about this,” Kihyun says, and Hoseok thinks maybe he’s not so bad, even if his instincts itch whenever Kihyun’s pointed fox ears twitch. But then, Kihyun ruins it by winking greasily at Hoseok. “You’re cute enough to be forgiven anyway.”

There’s a loud gagging noise from Hyungwon behind, followed by an all too friendly slap on Kihyun’s back, and Hoseok’s quickly forgotten, left to trail after them as Kihyun joins Hyungwon on his evening walk.

 

 

☆.｡.:* ~ ~.｡.:*☆

 

 

Kihyun fits quickly into their routine, which isn't really surprising when Hoseok learns that the fox was – is – Hyungwon's best friend, and has been living in the castle for his whole life. What is surprising is how Hoseok finds himself taking to him. He didn't have the best first impression of Kihyun and his basal animal instincts don't help. Sure, this kingdom might have been blessed generations ago with magic and intelligence above creatures of the wild but everyone here is still, at heart, a child of nature. Hoseok is, in some primal parts, still a rabbit, just like how Kihyun is a fox, and Hyungwon is... well actually, Hoseok has no idea what Hyungwon is even after four months of guarding the prince. But he digresses.

The thing is, Kihyun is a sorcerer and with summer in the air, he is to help Hyungwon with the seasonal ritual of blessing the crops. This leads to Hoseok inevitably becoming more familiar with Kihyun because Hyungwon spends the weeks leading up to the summer ritual in Kihyun’s workshop. The prince rolls up his sleeves and works personally with Kihyun on the various potions, ointments and charms he would distribute to the farmers later, and Hoseok eventually finds himself handing Kihyun ingredients, getting bossed into mixing grounded herbs into a paste and making sure Hyungwon doesn't knock anything over in the tight space of Kihyun's workshop.

“He's clumsier than he seems, isn't he?” Hoseok mumbles absently while scooping scented powder into individual vials, and he only realises he's said it aloud when Kihyun chuckles. Hoseok looks around, breathes a sigh of relief when he finds Hyungwon asleep on the table because he hasn't heard.

“Oh, trust me, Hyungwon's a lot more things than he appears to be,” Kihyun divulges with a quirked smile. Having learnt to take Kihyun's word for all things related to Hyungwon, Hoseok just nods. They fall into the rhythmic sounds of work for a while, until Hoseok decides to ask something he's been wondering for a while now.

“I've noticed that Hyungwon always wears a ribbon with a bow tied on the back of his neck, even in his own room. Is there a reason why...?”

Kihyun stiffens, and Hoseok trails off sheepishly, wonders if he'd asked about something too personal or irrelevant. He hadn't thought much of the prince's ribbon with the neat fluffy bow on the nape at first until he’d noticed that Hyungwon's never without it. It might very well be a mere sartorial choice, but Hoseok's woken Hyungwon up enough times to know he never takes it off except when he bathes and that's kind of curious. At least, Hoseok is curious, and now that Kihyun's hesitating to answer, Hoseok feels oddly justifed in his curiosity. Folding his lower lip between his teeth, Hoseok waits, wonders if Kihyun will answer.

Eventually, Kihyun takes his eyes off his mixing bowl, says, “There is a reason but I can't say. You should ask Hyungwon if you really want to know.”

 

 

☆.｡.:* ~ ~.｡.:*☆

 

 

With summer comes more work for Hoseok. He finds himself trying to find a good balance between making sure Hyungwon is safe while being friendly to all the villagers who approach the prince with well wishes as he makes his rounds to the various corners of the kingdom to bless the crops. Most of them don’t mean harm, but sometimes they come too close, make Hyungwon uncomfortable enough that his smile falters just a little, and Hoseok has to step in. When the whole kingdom has finally been visited, Hoseok gains a new level of admiration for Hyungwon.

“I never knew blessing the kingdom takes so much time and energy,” Hoseok comments as they near the familiar castle grounds.

“You’ll get used to it,” Hyungwon replies simply, the corners of his plush lips curled just enough for Hoseok to know he’s amused even if he looks as calm and serene as ever.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the invasion of space from some of the more enthusiastic villagers,” Hoseok comments, recalling the various incidents where he had to coax people away from touching Hyungwon. And there was that one girl who pulled on the end of Hyungwon’s bow from behind and oh, right –

“Hey, mind if I ask you something?”

Hyungwon raises a brow casually.

“You technically just did.”

Hoseok almost huffs, before he remembers who he is – _what_ he is. Bodyguards are not supposed to be flustered, remember?

“I mean – Well, never mind, I’m sure you know what I mean.”

Hyungwon laughs, a chortle bursting pass his lips which he tries to hide behind a hand.

“You’re fun to tease, you know? But do go ahead, Hoseok. Ask what you were going to.”

Hoseok pouts a little, nose twitching before he finally asks the thing he’s been thinking about since that conversation with Kihyun.

“Is there a reason why you wear your bow all the time?”

Hyungwon pauses for a second, then blinks a few times in quick succession. Hoseok holds his breath, wonders if he shouldn’t have asked. But then, he recalls how startled Hyungwon had been when the girl pulling on his bow had almost succeeded, and he’s almost certain that there is something more about that piece of ribbon around his neck than meets the eye.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want,” Hoseok offers, even though he’s sure Hyungwon already knows this. Hoseok’s never been one to push, unless he’s required to when doing his job, and even then, he doesn’t like it.

Silence falls for long enough that Hoseok thinks Hyungwon’s not going to answer. But just before they reach Hyungwon’s bedroom, Hyungwon says, simple and quietly –

“The bow covers a scar I have. That’s why I wear it all the time. It makes people less uncomfortable to hide it away.”

“…oh,” Hoseok lets out without thinking. He only realises it’s a poor response to Hyungwon’s answer after they enter Hyungwon’s room, and the doors close. Standing around in his usual spot, Hoseok stalls for a while, before finding himself saying, “You probably don’t know this since I’ve not told anyone here before but I used to be a delinquent – smoked, drank, did a lot of dangerous things that worried my mother. But then, there was a year when you gave a speech in my village and your words, short as they were, made me rethink the life I was living. And now, here I am, your royal guard…” Hoseok trails off awkwardly, not sure where he’d been trying to go with this.

Hyungwon turns to look at him, an expression Hoseok can’t quite decipher.

“I…uh, I’m honored?” Hyungwon’s brows crease. “Is that why you wanted to be my guard specifically? I mean…I’m happy to hear that I inspired you and all but you know, Hoseok, you don’t have to trade me a secret for one.”

Hoseok feels his cheeks warm up. He hadn’t realise that was what he was doing. “I… I know, but I wanted to.”

There’s a pause, and then Hyungwon smiles gently.

“Okay.”

Another pause.

“Thank you for telling me then.”

Hoseok ducks his head. “No, thank _you_ ,” he whispers, not sure if he wants Hyungwon to hear it or not.

 

 

☆.｡.:* ~ ~.｡.:*☆

 

 

“I never thought you’ll be the delinquent type,” is what Kihyun greets him with the next time they see each other, Hyungwon in the next room napping.

Hoseok blinks, thinking.

“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic,” is what Hoseok says in the end.

Kihyun’s cheeks puff, laughter held back for all of three seconds before it’s let out.

“You’re funny. I can see why Hyungwon likes you the most out of all the guards he’d had so far.”

Hoseok’s heart does a funny skip at Kihyun’s casual revelation but he probably doesn’t mean it the way Hoseok’s hearing it.

“Why don’t I seem like the delinquent type?” Hoseok asks instead of the other questions he has.

Kihyun flicks at Hoseok’s rabbit ears, and Hoseok glares at him.

“It’s not ‘cause you’re a rabbit, don’t worry. And you’re so easy to read, Hoseok.”

“Wh…wait, what?”

Kihyun rolls his eyes. “I mean, I never thought you’re the delinquent type ‘cause you’re so easy to read. Like there’s a genuineness to your actions that I just never associate you with a troublemaker, that’s all.”

Hoseok lets that sink in, wonders what that means. Kihyun taps his head, wrinkles his nose.

“Don’t think so hard about it.”

There’s a pause, and then Kihyun suddenly chuckles.

“Though, now that I think about it, maybe this delinquent thing isn’t totally unexpected. That would explain why Hyungwon likes you.”

This is the second time Kihyun’s said it offhandedly in the span of less than ten minutes and Hoseok doesn’t want to know what it means. Or maybe he’s just scared to ask.

“Does Hyungwon like delinquents or something?” Hoseok voices in the end, making a face to pass the question off as a joke.

Kihyun hums, fox ears twitching.

“I suppose I got into my fair share of trouble as a kid and we’re best friends so there is that. But more than that, Hyungwon himself…”

“…Hyungwon himself…?” Hoseok prompts when Kihyun doesn’t continue.

Kihyun looks at him, shrugging.

“He has a rebellious streak in him, you know? Maybe that’s why he enjoys the company of people who do too.”

Hoseok doesn’t reply to that, but he thinks about Kihyun’s words for a long time after.

 

 

☆.｡.:* ~ ~.｡.:*☆

 

 

“Hoseok.”

“Yes?” Hoseok looks up, finds Hyungwon looking at him patiently, face half-turned, shrouded in shadows from the dim light of the moon. Usually, Hyungwon takes his walks in the early evening, but today, for some reason, he had waited until the skies are dark before he’d gone out.

“Don’t walk one step behind me, there’s enough space on this path for two.”

“Oh,” Hoseok mumbles, taking a large stride to occupy the space Hyungwon’s left for him on his right. Two steps in and Hoseok’s already too aware of Hyungwon’s flowing sleeve brushing against his forearm. He tries to ignore it, observes instead how the garden looks different at night. Underneath, there’s the steady pulse of energy, the intrinsic magic in nature giving off a different vibe at night than in the day. Hoseok lets his fingertips trail along a branch, feels the energy sync with his own. Next to him, Hyungwon hums softly, a floating ball of magicked light in his hands to light the way. They walk like this quietly, until Hyungwon suddenly says –

“You asked me once how it felt to have so much magic.”

Hoseok turns to Hyungwon, nods slightly. “Uh, yeah?”

“I said it was a trial, but I never told you why that is.”

Hoseok pinches the leaf between his forefinger and thumb, tries not to crush the plant accidentally.

“…yeah, you didn’t. Is there a reason you’re mentioning this now?”

Hyungwon fiddles with the ribbon across his neck, just under his Adam’s apple.

“When I was young, I didn’t think much about the fact that I was blessed with so much power, so much magic.”

Hoseok nods to show he’s listening, wonders where Hyungwon’s going.

“It kept me safe most of the time, the magic, so I never really thought about safety, or where I went. Kihyun and I used to wander into the deeper parts of the forest when we got bored of the castle.” Hyungwon pauses to trace the petal of a flower, then continues, “One day we walked so deep we ended up near the roads, and human hunters, they found us.”

Hoseok gulps, already not liking how this is going.

“What… what happened after that?”

Hyungwon smiles a little, not quite the happy kind, and Hoseok watches him shrug just a little.

“They got hold of me, and Kihyun could only run back to get help. I was in their hands for a few days, and they gave me this scar.”

Hyungwon doesn’t say more, fingering the edge of the silk ribbon across his throat. There’s no further elaboration but Hoseok doesn’t think he’s quite ready for more anyway.

“I…I’m sorry that happened to you,” Hoseok says softly, but Hyungwon just smiles again.

“I would say ‘me too’ but it taught me a big lesson so I’ve learnt to see it as just another thing that’d happened in my life.”

Hyungwon says this so simply that Hoseok feels his chest swell again. He doesn’t know what he’s feeling, but his heart is just so _full_ that he has to make a conscious effort to breathe normally.

“It wasn’t the first time I was careless, believing my magic is enough to protect me, but it was the first time that carelessness led to a big enough consequence. And this scar, this bow, reminds me to be humble with the gift nature has bestowed upon me, and to always be mindful.”

Hyungwon exhales, the sound audible in the quiet of the night, and Hoseok’s looking at the ground when he suddenly finds a warm palm on his shoulder.

“Are you… are those tears –”

Hoseok swipes at his eyes with the back of his hand, winces at his reaction. “Sorry, you’re the one who went through this but I’m…”

“Don’t apologise for sympathizing, it’s not a bad thing,” Hyungwon offers gently, and somehow that’s all it takes to trigger the waterworks. Hoseok tries to turn away, but Hyungwon coaxes him to lean onto his shoulder, and in the end, Hoseok finds himself with his face buried in Hyungwon’s chest, sniffling as quietly as he can while wiping the wetness painting his cheeks every few seconds.

He’s trying not to think about how nice Hyungwon is, how soothing the hand patting his back is, and how much he likes him. It’s only when the hand on his back stills does Hoseok realise he might have said the last bit out loud.

“I didn’t mean to say that,” Hoseok tries to say, but is cut off by Hyungwon’s soft laugh.

“Oh, I know.”

Hoseok stops, looks at Hyungwon properly. His eyes are bright, and he doesn’t look surprised at all.

“You know I didn’t mean to say that or you know…?”

Hyungwon smiles, that same beatific smile he gave Hoseok on his first day of being a guard, the first time he saw him years ago in his village. “I know you like me, yes. You’re not exactly hard to read.”

Hoseok’s cheeks flush, and he wants to hide but the only places are Hyungwon’s chest, or his hands. He goes for his hands, but Hyungwon pulls him up against his chest anyway.

“If it helps, I like you too.”

Hoseok keeps his red face against his palms and Hyungwon’s chest, but he’s sure the prince knows how hot his cheeks are anyway.

“I like you,” Hoseok mumbles, “but this is so embarrassing.”

Hyungwon just laughs, his chest shaking.

“You’re so cute, Hoseok-ah.”

Hoseok feels the corners of his mouth curl up against the skin of his palms, and he’s smiling even as his cheeks are still wet. That feeling in his chest is back again, fuller than ever, except this time, he thinks he knows what that feeling is.

 

 

 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*☆.｡.:* ~ ~.｡.:*☆ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

 

 

_“I’m not supposed to be cute, I’m your guard. Guards are not… cute.”_

_“I know, but I think you’re cute anyway.”_

_“You say that when_ you _are the one walking around with a huge bow all the time.”_

_“I never said I wasn’t cute, Hoseok-ah. I just said you are cute.”_

_“What… stop it.”_

_“Aww, you’re blushing again.”_

_“…stop it, come on.”_

_“But you look so cute when you’re flustered.”_

_“…”_

_“…Wait, did you…did you just kiss me to shut me up?”_

_“Um, maybe? …Yes? Also, are those… cat ears on your head?”_

_“…Crap, are they out? You caught me by surprise… And they’re leopard ears, not cat.”_

_“That’s so… cute?”_

_“Shush.”_

_“Now you’re the one blushing.”_

_“Shush.”_

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted to do something about Hyungwon with a bow and this happened? This AU is a lot softer than what I've written before but I really enjoyed writing it ^^ Anyway, I'll love to know what you think, and comments are always appreciated. Thank you for reading~
> 
> On a side note, you can also find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/cian1675) where I sometimes talk about fics I'm writing. I have a hyungwonho/showho dramarama AU that I've been working on since before this oneshot but I got sidetracked lol


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